Handmade Houses and Feeders for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies

By Michele McKee-Orsini

These handmade birdhouses and feeders, bee hotels, and butterfly and ladybird homes will bring welcome visitors to your garden.

Handmade Houses and Feeders for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies features 35 beautiful havens to build to attract more wildlife into your garden. Each house is beautifully designed, with colourful details, but is also perfectly adapted for its intended inhabitants. There are birdhouses you can hang up or place on stands, and a bee house you can 'plant' in your flowerbed. There are also feeders for birds, and homes for butterflies and ladybirds. With her trademark attention to detail, Michele McKee-Orsini has designed a gorgeous collection of miniature palaces for the wildlife that we should all be encouraging into our gardens. Michele takes you through the basic woodworking and decorating skills you will need, and the step-by-step project instructions, clear artwork, and stunning photography will all inspire you to build your own havens for our flying friends. Handmade Houses and Feeders for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies is a compilation of previously published favourites.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CICO Books
• Release date: Mar 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781800651470

Book preview

Handmade Houses and Feeders for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies

Handmade Houses and Feeders for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies

35 havens for wildlife in your garden

Michele McKee-Orsini

Published in 2022 by CICO Books

An imprint of Ryland Peters & Small Ltd

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text © Michele McKee-Orsini 2022

Design, illustration, and photography © CICO Books 2022 except for images listed in the picture credits on page 143

The designs in this book have previously appeared in one of the following titles by Michele McKee-Orsini: Handmade Birdhouses and Feeders or Handmade Bird, Bee, and Bat Houses.

The designs in this book are copyright and must not be made for sale.

The author’s moral rights have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress and the British Library.

ISBN: 978 1 80065 110 4

eISBN: 978 1 80065 147 0

Printed in China

Editor: Sarah Hoggett

Designers: Mark Latter, Blue Dragonfly Ltd;

Alison Fenton; and Jerry Goldie

Photographers: Caroline Arber, James Gardiner, and Emma Mitchell

Stylists: Sophie Martell, Joanna Thornhill, and Jess Contomichalos

Illustrator: Stephen Dew

In-house editor: Jenny Dye

Art director: Sally Powell

Head of production: Patricia Harrington

Publishing manager: Penny Craig

Publisher: Cindy Richards

contents

Introduction

Basic birdhouse

chapter 1

birdhouses

Simple birdhouse

Retro birdhouse

Triple-roof hanging birdhouse

Cottage birdhouse condo

Seaside birdhouse

Moss-covered birdhouse

Owl house

Birdhouse trio

Pyramid birdhouse

Mosaic tiled birdhouse

Checkerboard birdhouse

Barn birdhouse

Planter-box birdhouse

Dresser drawer birdhouse

Upcycled wine cork birdhouse

Hanging cube birdhouse

Airplane birdhouse

Woodpecker house

Flower and ladybug birdhouse

Knot-hole birdhouse with chains

Bird’s eye birdhouse

Crooked birdhouse

chapter 2

bird feeders

Swing bench bird feeder

Hip bird feeder

Bird shelter

Wine bottle feeder

Cup and saucer bird feeder

Hanging material basket

Bird perch swing

chapter 3

bees, butterflies, and ladybugs

Cozy bee hotel

Bee house

Mason bee log home

Butterfly feeding station

Butterfly house

Ladybug house

Tools and materials

Techniques and guidance

Index

Picture credits

Suppliers and acknowledgments

introduction

I’ve been building birdhouses and studying cavity-nesting birds since 2009. I am a true nature lover and would always rather be walking through the woods looking for interesting-looking bugs to study or a bird to watch. If I come across a snake in my path, I will help it get out of the way of on-comers who may do more harm than good. Yep… I pick them up and move them to a safer location (rattlesnakes I leave alone). I’ve even been known to take those creepy spiders out of the house and put them in my garden. I feel they have a family somewhere and I don’t need to squish them. Sometimes I find myself talking to them as if they could understand me. Hah! Oh boy.

All of nature is essential for survival on this earth but, with the growth of buildings and people, there are many insects and animals that are in danger of disappearing. That’s not good. If we keep destroying nature, we soon will have nothing to enjoy. I never take for granted the passing of a butterfly or the scampering squirrel who can’t decide which way to go. I stop and watch until it disappears into the distance. I stop and smell the flowers, while looking at how their beauty is formed.

I am so grateful to have the capability to create and keep creating things I love and hold dear to my heart. The best thing for me is to find an object that someone else thought was trash and make it into a piece of artwork. I get excited over the smallest things. I remember when someone brought me an old rusty spoon. I jumped for joy! It made me feel good to know that I was in their thoughts and they knew I would be ecstatic with such a simple find.

In this book, I’ve been able to bring together my twin passions for nature and for recycling, to create a range of projects that will help you encourage birds and other wildlife into your own garden. My first book covered only birdhouses and bird feeders; this time around, I’ve expanded it to include bees, butterflies, and ladybugs, all of which we humans need to attract into our gardens. I am in hopes that this book brings you as much joy as it did me in building the creations and writing it.

In the year 2020 my husband, Guido, suddenly became ill and quickly passed away. This changed my life dramatically as he was my everything. He was always my biggest supporter. When he would see my work his praise was always over the top. I miss him terribly. Since then I have a new love in my life and life is good.

Thank you for being in a part of a bird’s life.

Michele McKee-Orsini

basic birdhouse

Many of the projects in this book follow this basic design. It is made from dog-ear fence board (see page 126), which is a raw untreated wood that you can usually buy from your local home improvement store. The materials list in each project will tell you exactly what you need to buy, including any items needed for decoration. The list below is for a basic birdhouse without any embellishment. For more on decorating your birdhouse, turn to page 138.

materials

One 6ft x 5½ in. x ½ in. (180 x 14 x 1.2 cm) dog-ear fence panel

Waterproof premium glue

Wood putty

80-grit sandpaper

1-in. (25-mm) finish nails or galvanized wire nails

1¼-in. (30-mm) exterior screws

Basic tool kit (see page 126)

cutting list

As with the materials lists, each project will tell you the exact dimensions to cut the pieces to, as well as any other information such as whether you need to cut the pieces at an angle or with a beveled edge (see page 129).

Front and back: 9 x 5½ in. (23 x 14 cm)—cut 2

Sides: 6 x 5½ in. (16 x 14 cm)—cut 2 (one side is for the door)

Bottom roof panel 1: 5½ x 5½ in. (14 x 14 cm)—cut 1, then cut in half to give two panels measuring 5½ x 2¾ in. (14 x 7 cm)

Bottom roof panel 2: 6 x 5½ in. (15 x 14 cm)—cut 1, then cut in half to give two panels measuring 6 x 2¾ in. (15 x 7 cm)

Top roof panel 1: 6 x 5½ in. (15 x 14 cm)—cut 1

Top roof panel 2: 6¾ x 5½ in. (17 x 14 cm)—cut 1

Floor: 4¼ x 5½ in. (11 x 14 cm)— cut 1

Constructing the birdhouse

1 Cut the peaks of the front and back panels at a 45˚ angle. Place the front panel on a stable surface with a cutting board or scrap piece of wood underneath and drill the entrance hole, using a hole saw and the appropriate size of bit (see page 130 ). (See page 140 for the desired height and hole diameter for specific bird species.)

2 Glue and nail one side panel to the inside edges of the front and back panels. Leave the other side open for the door.

3 Dry fit the floor panel first to ensure the door panel fits flush to the side edges by sliding the floor panel in between the front and back panels. If the door is not flush, cut the necessary amount off the floor. Now glue and nail the floor panel in place.

4 Place the door panel between the front and back panels. Use a speed square to line up where the pilot holes will be placed on the front and back edges: the screws need to be ¾ in. (2 cm) down and directly across from each other in order for the door to swing open properly. Using a ¼-in. (6-mm) bit, drill a pilot hole (see page 131 ) through the front and back panels into the door below the point at which the roof slopes upward. Insert a 1¼-in. (30-mm) exterior screw at each point to act as hinges for the door.

5 Line up a bottom roof panel 1 with the roof peak flush with the inside edge of the panel, then position bottom roof panel 2 overlapping it, as shown. The roof pieces will overhang slightly at the front and sides, protecting the entrance hole during rainy weather. Glue and nail in place.

6 Glue and nail the other set of bottom roof panels flush with the outside edge of the back panel for a wall mount or overhanging the back panel by ¼ in. (6 mm) if you are going to hang the birdhouse from its roof.

7 Attach the top roof panels in the same way, centering them on the bottom roof, which creates vent ducts.

8 Fill all holes with paintable wood filler putty, then sand the birdhouse lightly with 80-grit sandpaper to knock offany splinters and smooth the putty flush with the wood.

9 The dowels are optional and are merely for decorative purposes. Drill a hole, using a ⁵ / 16 -in. (8-mm) drill bit. Cut a ⁵ / 16 -in. (8-mm) wooden dowel rod to 1¼ in. (30 mm) in length. Hammer the dowel rod into the hole until only ¼ in. (6 mm) protrudes on the outside of the birdhouse.

10 Prepare for painting by brushing offany excess dust and placing tape or wadded paper in the hole. This keeps the inside of the hole and the interior of the birdhouse free of paint, as it is important for the birds that the inside is clean, natural wood.

simple roof

This roof design is even simpler and quicker to construct than the one shown above. Simply cut the roof pieces to the required size, then follow the steps below.

1 The project instructions will tell you whether the roof pieces should be flush with the back or front panels of the birdhouse or whether they should overhang. Glue and nail the roof pieces in place, so that they touch along the center ridge. This will leave a V-shaped gap on the roof ridge.

2 Cut a piece of 1 x 1-in. (2.5 x 2.5-cm) square dowel to the length required. Glue and nail it into the V-shaped gap, angling the nails slightly so that they go through both the dowel and the roof piece. (Again, the individual project instructions will tell you whether the dowel is to be positioned flush with the back/front of the birdhouse or to overhang.)

chapter 1

birdhouses

In this chapter you’ll find a variety of fun and stylish ideas, such as a rustic seaside birdhouse decorated with shells and driftwood, and a triple-decker home ideal for small cavity-nesting birds. From simple to novelty designs, these projects will provide ample room for birds to nest and raise their young.

Attract small cavity-nesting birds to your garden with this rustic but simple birdhouse. A wire attached to the roof makes it easy to hang. Small pieces of driftwood are used on the front façade and for the door knob, with moss tucked in between the cracks.

simple birdhouse

materials

One 6 ft x 5½ in. x ½ in. (180 x 14 x 1.2 cm) dog-ear fence panel

Waterproof premium glue

1-in. (25-mm) finish nails or